By Scarlett Lewis, Chief Movement Officer, Choose Love Movement
Choose Love™ Awareness Month culminated in a powerful and unifying reminder of what it means to become an illuminator. We began the month with a joyous global kickoff that brought together classrooms of all ages and stages from around the world. Students and educators gathered with a shared intention: to explore what it means to truly see and be seen, and to understand the difference between becoming an illuminator rather than becoming diminished. From the very start, there was a sense that this conversation mattered deeply. In a world that often encourages comparison, performance, and masks, we invited participants to consider a different path, the path of authenticity, courage, and love.
At the heart of our kickoff was the Choose Love Formula: Courage, Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Compassion-in-Action. We talked about the courage it takes to be vulnerable and to drop the masks we sometimes wear, the masks shaped by what we think others expect or how we want to be perceived. Illumination begins when we allow ourselves to simply be who we truly are. When students understand that they do not have to earn belonging by pretending, they begin to stand more confidently in their authentic selves. Courage opens the door to being fully seen, and in that space, light begins to grow.
We explored gratitude as more than a polite habit. Practiced consistently, gratitude fosters optimism and builds resilience for when life inevitably becomes difficult. It shifts our focus from what is lacking to what is present and possible. In classrooms across the globe, students practiced noticing goodness, recognizing effort, and identifying small moments of beauty. Gratitude strengthens the mindset that allows young people to persevere. Illuminators are not blind to hardship; they simply refuse to let hardship define their entire story.
Forgiveness was another transformative pillar of our month. Students and educators discussed the truth that hurt people hurt people, and that the mean-spirited words and actions we experience often arise from weakness and unresolved pain. Understanding this does not excuse harmful behavior, but it does free us from carrying resentment. We emphasized that we are not our mistakes, nor are we defined by the worst thing we have ever done. We are worthy. We are enough. When young people internalize this, shame loosens its grip and growth becomes possible. Forgiveness restores dignity, to ourselves and to others.
Compassion-in-Action brought everything together. We encouraged participants to actively attempt connection: to look into one another’s eyes, the windows of the soul, and recognize that we are united in our shared human experience. We all want and need to love and be loved. We all feel pain. When students begin to understand that we are truly in this together, compassion becomes less of an abstract idea and more of a daily practice. An illuminator chooses to connect rather than withdraw, to uplift rather than diminish.
Following our kickoff, we spent four weeks providing toolkits, videos, and practical resources to support educators in helping students feel seen and capable of seeing others. Hundreds of participants engaged with the materials, integrating the practices into classrooms and communities. The ripple effect was tangible. When students feel visible, valued, and significant, they begin to shine. When they learn to extend that same visibility to others, the entire culture shifts.
We concluded the month with a beautiful wrap-up event for educators, parents, and community members. Attendees joined from Australia to the United Kingdom to the United States, all wanting to learn more about the concept of becoming an illuminator. The global participation was a powerful reminder that this message transcends geography and culture. The desire to understand how to bring more light into our schools, homes, and communities is universal.
Ultimately, becoming an illuminator is a profound realization that every time we encounter another human being, we are engaging with something sacred. When we look into the eyes of another and recognize the divine spark within them, everything changes. Each interaction becomes meaningful. The person across from us is no longer an obstacle or a stranger, but a source of love, just as we are. That awareness transforms ordinary moments into sacred opportunities to choose love.
Thank you to everyone who participated in Choose Love™ Awareness Month. Your willingness to engage, to reflect, and to practice these principles makes a difference. If this experience resonated with you and you would like to go deeper, we invite you to extend the learning with our no cost Choose Love™ for Schools or Homes. Together, we can continue raising illuminators, one courageous, grateful, forgiving, compassionate choice at a time.
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